Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

I've being searching for information on the building of this model and I have found none. Has anyone seen anything posted on this airplane? I' plan to built onne as a Vietnam era gunship. Also I will go electric with this one. Any comments?

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

You may want to check out the twins section of RCU. There are a couple of good threads in there on the DC-3. Good Luck, Dave

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Thanks Dave. I went there and checked the forum and there's nothing on the DC - 3. Now I've been collecting information on this airplane and one of our club member offered me good advice on how to convert it to electric without costing me a leg and an arm. I already ordered the kit. In the mean time I found a website that contains information on how to put the bird together, www. rcdon.com. It even has a video on the maiden flight.

Thanks again

Bolt

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Check out the top Flite forum on RCSB. http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/

There has been a few builds over the past few years.

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Bolt,

Look harder in the twins forum............there are a couple of really good threads on the DC3. I'm anticipating building this model and have been reading a lot there.

Andy

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

I built the DC 3 from the top flight kit.
The build is easy. good plans and well designed.
My only problem is the lack of space in the center wing section for retracts servos, air tank ,engine servos.flap servoa. Also the routing of fuel lines control, lines through the nacelles is tough especialy if you use retracts.
The plane flies great.I used two Wankel engines and the sound is awesome.

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Tom and Andy:

thanks for your inputs. I went to rcscale.com and found one very well documented building thread there. I recommend you to take a look at it. I'll keep looking (Harder) into the twins forum to see if I can find the information you mention. Still waiting for my DC ..... C-47 gunship to arrive.

Bolt

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

I have some pictures on the building of the DC - 3 that I need to show you guys but I don't know how to post them. Can someone tell me how?

Bolt

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Don, did a nice job on this with a video and pictures of the build. Not sure if it is the gold kit or not.

http://www.rcdon.com/html/ec-47n__dc-3__project.html

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Yes it was the Top FLite DC 3 modified as one of its variants. the article is great, lots of picture and even a video of the maiden flight.

Thanks for the information

Bolt

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Wow, I got through that whole RCScaleBuilder thread yesterday, and man was that discouraging. Considering this is the 'winter project' this year, I'm second guessing building the thing. I expect it to take 10 months to a year with some level of scale class, I sure hope I don't run into the same 'pitch up on takeoff' problem. Is there some kind of incidence issue that is causing pitch-ups? I had planned on using the same RCV58 engines as the one on rcscalebuilder, but considering they do want to be mounted off center, that might throw off the balance just enough.

I'm a pretty good pilot so far (5 years, 2 lost planes due to crashes, most of my planes just get a little worn out so I take them out of service), and take my time on takeoffs to get up speed and control before letting the bird takeoff, but is this plane so difficult to fly its a guaranteed junker? I've only lost one of my (5,6 so far?) kit builds, and that was due to me yanking it off the ground in the early days before I fully understood the value of gaining speed (the other crash was an embarrassing taxi error on a crappy ARF...hit a bump and she was airborn without any airspeed). I'm pretty proud of my landings though, nice and easy!

I also see that thread is from a few years ago, have there been any changes to the kit since 2004 (I think that was when it was built). I'd sure hate to have go through the same the heartache by brutally crashing on maiden.

RCDon's is much more encouraging, but I'm still second guessing this plane. I have little time to build, and I kinda expect my planes to at least get through the maiden by getting it built strait and all balanced up nice.

I guess I should just go for it and hope for the best. I'm more or less in the same boat as BOLT, so yeah, any notes are great.

eniac

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Eniac:
first remember, this is not an ARF, if you decide to bulit it be ready to invest some time in the shop and lso to deal with the problems typical of kit building which I'm sure you are familiar with. Secondly, everything you read about a particular model is based on the pilot's perception, and there are cases in which poor craftmanship combined with a lack of experience in flying results in a crash, but not because a poorly designed model. You will always find all kinds of comments on all airplanes from "sweet" to "piece of junk". But at the end is your experience with the model that counts. I'm building mine with electric motors, I have never liked to fly twin glows, but again, that's me. In one sentence, if you like it ... go for it!!!!

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Going for it!

I like to build, working 12 hours a day six days a week (sys admin) grinds you down. Its nice to work with my hands and actually end up with something tangible. When the power goes out, and things have to be shut down, its hard to know you've never done anything in your entire professional life. Hence my 'year or so' building time estimate with the workload. This is why I build model airplanes.

I think I'll take my chances on the glow (I think twin 32's, had lots of great experience with two of these engines), but the electric option sure is temping now that the technology has caught up, even if it is expensive.

And yeah, its not an ARF (thank God), I've had two of 'em, and didn't like either one, it didn't feel the same as a nice build, and my fast taxi wreck reminded me I don't treat arfs the same as my handbuilt airplanes, I felt cheap and careless flying them.

I'll be following your build, and hope to meet you in the sky at some point considering my parents live down in florida.

eniac

RE: Top Flite Gold Edition DC - 3
 

Good move!!!!

About the costs of electrics, I thought the same way, but in our club we have our resident "Guru", an electronic engineneer. He's giving me advise on what to put in the DC er... C-47 gunship and belive me is less expensive that getting twin glows. If you are interested I' pass the information to you.

See you in the sky !!!!!